Love So Long, Be So Strong
by Enula
Summary: Somewhat of a Goku/Bulma romance. Takes place far into GT, possibly even after. It's a short one-shot fic, so...you don't have to worry about updates here. Bulma's old and she can feel herself dying, but will an old friend be there to comfort and help her


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Love So Long, Be So Strong

Bulma put her hand to her forehead, closing her eyes slowly. Her whole body felt so hot, yet so cold, all at the same time. Every time she covered up with her three blankets, she would overheat, but when she threw them off, her teeth would begin chattering away.

Having just woken up about five minutes ago…she felt tired again. Lately, that's all she's been doing. Laying in bed and sleeping. Well, eating, too, of course. But she couldn't say she had much of an appetite. Plus, her mouth was usually dry, making everything she did eat have a bad taste.

Yes, she could say she was sick. It wasn't exactly one of those things you could help, however. It happened to everyone sometime in they life, and at this moment, it just so happens it's Bulma's time of life…

She was dying. There was no doubt about it. And there she was, in a regular hospital, living in a regular hospital room, lying in a regular hospital bed, wearing regular hospital gowns, and eating disgusting hospital food. Just thinking about it made her sigh. Why did her family have to put her there? She could be at her home right now; just having nurses coming in every once in awhile to see how she was doing.

It wasn't like she wanted to die in an unfamiliar place with no one that really cared about her around. Sure, her husband, her son and his kids, plus his grandchildren, her daughter and her kids, including her grandchildren, often came to see her, but there was also an oh-so-certain thing called "visiting hours".

And right then happened to be the time those visiting hours were over. It was late at night, one twenty-three to be exact, she didn't really expect to see anyone anyway. She wasn't exactly in the mood for talking. Her mouth was dry and every time she tried to swallow, she felt like she was choking on her tongue.

She slowly opened her eyes, looking at the dark, white ceiling. There wasn't much light in the room, but she was still able to see enough where she could look around. 

To her left, she spotted the heart monitor, watching as the thing yellow line would go straight, then take a little jump, a littler jump, go straight, then repeat the pattern over again. In front of her, she saw the outline of the television that hung in the air. To her right was a little table that held the digital clock, a vase full of pretty flowers, and a picture.

Wanting to hold the picture, she groaned a bit as she lifted herself up on one elbow, leaning over to grasp the frame within her shaky fingers. Noticing that she couldn't get a good look at it from the darkness, she slowly turned the other way, now facing the window.

Finally being able to focus on the image, her dull blue eyes shrunk a little as a small smile made its way over her lips. It was of the whole gang after Buu was defeated. They were all pretty much squeezed together, being as the picture could only be so big. To the far right were herself and Vegeta, who was standing somewhat behind her, not looking at the camera, of course. In front of her was Trunks, who was holding her hand and punching his fist into the air.

Next to them was Goku, whose hand was on Chi-Chi's shoulders. Goten occupied his other arm, not wanting to leave his father's side again. Then there was Gohan, who was giving a peace sign with his right hand and holding Videl's hand with the other.

To the far left was Krillin, 18, and Marron, behind them standing Yamcha and Piccolo.

Seeing all this made her eyes burn with tears. Yes…even though the world just got destroyed not three hours before this picture was taken, those were the good old days. She felt a single tear roll down her worn face, falling with a light _tap _onto her hand. Just from that, it felt so heavy that her fingers opened up, making the picture fall onto the cold, tiled floor.

From the original silence, the picture made a loud crash, making her heart jump, also making the rhythmic heart monitor skip a beat. She looked over the edge of the bed, seeing the picture lying face-up below her. Not daring to reach down to pick it up, in fear of falling off the bed all together, she just laid on her back, staring up at the ceiling again.

Reaching her hand up, she slowly and gently ran her hand down the side of her face, noticing how her skin wasn't as smooth as it once was. Reaching her hand up even further, she was able to feel her hair. Her dull hair…almost as dull as her tired eyes. She remembered when it was once silky and fine.

"Why…" was the only word that her rasped voice could manage out. Just hearing her voice crack made her cringe and close her eyes, water building up under her eyelids. Soon, she felt tears falling down the sides of her eyes and covering her ears.

Opening her eyes again, she took another look to her right, seeing something she didn't see before. Bulma squinted her eyes and noticed it was another picture that must have gotten knocked over, for just the back was facing up.

Once again, she struggled to reach over and grab the frame, grasping it delicately before turning towards the windows light again. 

It was a more recent picture. There were more people in it, considering it had four generations in it. Both from her side and the Son family. There was only one person missing…

"Son-kun…" she whispered, looking desperately around the picture. She knew he just _had _to be in the picture! He was the main man out of everyone. How good is a picture without him?

Yet she knew, no matter how much she searched, she would never find his friendly, innocent face within this picture.

"Why did you have to die? You were so young…" she hardly heard herself saying this, but she knew what she thought. For so many years, she's missed her best friend more than anything and her heart broke every time she thought about never seeing him again.

She choked back a sob, making her heart squeeze in her chest. Unconsciously, she dropped the second picture to the floor, bringing her hands to her chest and clenching her blue nightgown, trying to make the pain stop. A quick sweat broke out all over her face, but it just as soon made her face become unbearably dry.

Her mind whirled as she heard the heart monitor go off beat again. It began to sound very horrific, making her want to scream; yet the only thing she got out was a low moan.

"Bulma…relax," she heard a beautiful voice say, soon feeling a warm sensation rest upon her forehead.

Just from this, she held her breath for a few seconds, then let it out slowly. She still felt the pain shoot all through her body, but her mind was now calm, making it more bearable. 

Bulma opened her eyes, seeing a bright, multi-colored light. And though she was used to the dark, this light was very welcoming. Finally, she didn't feel cold or hot, she felt just right. She was able to breathe normally, see clearer. 

Looking into the light, her thin lips again making a smile, she reached out her arm, her hand hanging over the edge of the bed.

"I'd knew you'd come to see me again, Goku," she whispered, her eyes dancing at the beauty that enlightened the room.

Goku grinned, closing his hand around hers. Bulma felt the warmth again, subconsciously noticing that the heart monitor went back to its regular rhythm.

"You just know me so well, don't you?" he responded, his big, dark eyes filled with laughter.

She simply nodded, the skin around her eyes wrinkling even more as she put laughter in them also, "I guess seventy years did something good, eh?"

Goku didn't respond, but instead reached out and got a few strands of her hair out of her face, never letting go of her hand. The feeling felt so good to her, she wanted to close her eyes and melt in pleasure. But alas, there was that fear deep within her that if she looked away for one second, Goku would disappear.

"Are you scared, B-chan?" he asked her suddenly, beginning to rub her hand with his thumb.

Bulma looked up into his eyes, her smile fading for a moment. Was she scared? To tell the truth, she wasn't quite sure. There were many reasons why she should be, yet there were also reasons why she shouldn't be. Her smile came back.

"Son-kun, ever since I was sixteen, you were always there to protect me. Because of you, I got into adventures where normal people would say there was no chance of surviving…and yet I did. Because of you, I didn't have a normal, everyday life. Everything that has happened to me, had to deal with you in some way…"

Before she could continue, her throat became too dry, making her go into a coughing fit. She tried to sit up and regain herself, but her body was too weak. She just had to wait until it passed. To her surprise, it ended just as soon as it started. Goku had put a hand over her chest, easing her into comfort-ability again.

She sucked in a deep breath, feeling a slight blush come to her cheeks. Goku only chuckled good-heartedly, shaking his head.

"Bulma, don't strain yourself by—."

"Goku…" she squeezed his hand as tightly as she could, swallowing hard, "I've waited seventy years to tell you with…just hear me out, okay?"

Hearing this, he smiled gently and sat on the edge of her bed to get closer to her, "You never changed, Bulma. Always trying to be so strong."

Tears sprang to her eyes again as she shook her head, "Why didn't we ever have a chance?"

He tilted his head to the side in curiosity and confusion, blinking twice, "What do you mean?"

Shakily, she reached her free hand up and cupped his face into her palm. His expression never changed as she did this action, making her heart flutter.

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Same old Goku…

"Goku…you've been my best friend all my life. In case you haven't noticed, I felt even more for you all my life…"

"What…?" he asked silently, his eyes shrinking down a bit as he looked at her more sensitively, "Bulma…why now?"

She took her hand away from his face to press it to the bed, trying her best to pick herself up.

"Bulma, don't hurt yourself," Goku said, but knowing that if she wanted to sit up, she was going to sit up. He wrapped his arms around her to prop her back up. Having that opportunity, she limped her body onto his, feeling the warmth invade her whole body.

She rested her head against his chest, snuggling against him, "I love Vegeta, I really do. After all, he's the one that blessed me with two children, which have branched off to grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. But…" she slowly lifted her head to look into his gorgeous eyes, "there was always something extra special about you."

Goku closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers, "I'm not as naïve as I used to be…I'm not gonna pretend I don't know what you're talking about. I just wanna know…why did you go through life…?"

"You got married, you had kids. What was I supposed to do? Just live my life by myself and wonder what it would've been like if I was the one that married you and we were the ones to have kids? When Vegeta came along…he just reminded me of you." She paused, her shaking hand grasping his warm gi, "Sure, he wasn't as gentle as you, but he had that certain Saiyajin pride that I first saw in you."

"Bulma…" Goku began, looking over her features. Yes, age has caught up to her, but he still saw her as she used to be. Young, beautiful, and full of energy. He once again closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, "Are you scared?"

"No," she said quickly, her heavy eyelids slowly closing, "I'm not, as long as you're with me."

Goku opened his eyes, holding her closer to him as he ran his hand back through her hair. And as his hand slid down her dry hair, it suddenly became fine and silky. The blue shine gave it the body to make it touchable, lighter. He then reached her forehead, slowly bringing it down the length of her face. The wrinkly skin became smooth and soft, the young and healthy glow making him smile. Her lips became full and sensuous, her mouth opening slightly to feel her youth returning.

And then she opened her eyes. Her big, blue eyes sparkled and shined with delight, just like how they were when she was twenty. She watched as Goku grabbed her hands and gazed on in amazement as her hands became polished and steady, knowing this was what was happening to the rest of her body.

Bulma looked back up into the eyes of Goku, watching as he stood up from the bed. His hands still grasped hers, making her stand up also. And surprisingly, with ease. Her legs felt stronger than ever and her back was able to support herself to stand up tall and gracefully.

"You're free, Bulma," Goku said happily, leaning down to capture her young lips to his. She smiled within the kiss, finally feeling all the weight lift from her body. Suddenly, there was no such thing as pain and no such thing as darkness.

They broke away from the kiss, grinning at each other like they were two high school students in love. She briefly looked away from him and down at the hospital bed that she still laid in. She saw herself as the old woman she was, finally at peace. If she looked closely, she was able to see the small, worn smile that was implanted on her lips. She looked over to see the straight line across the heart monitor.

Now that she thought about it, death wasn't a scary, or a sad event. It was a thing that set you free; it gave you that chance to spread your wings and let go of all your problems you ever had. 

Sure, she knew her family would miss her. And she would miss them also. But she had a feeling that they would understand and let her rest in peace. After all, she was ninety years old, she lived a full life and when it all came down to it, she had no regrets.

She looked back up at Goku who was still smiling down at her.

"Ready?" he asked her, giving her hands a light squeeze.

Grinning widely, she squeezed his hands also, "Always."

The light that once just surrounded Goku, went through her body now, also. She closed her eyes to feel the warmth once again, now for sure never to leave her. Once it was settled in, she opened her eyes once more, noticing that they were no longer in the hospital. They were floating high in the sky, a slight breeze blowing her shiny hair to the left.

Finally…she knew that loving Goku so long had a meaning behind it. She would be strong and wait as long as it took, even if it was forever.

This is a perfect example of a love that might have never been…in the mortal life. In the after life, love still exists and is even stronger than human reality.

It's so complex, yet so simple…

To love so long and be so strong.

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Guess what?! It's March 9th and that means it has been exactly ONE YEAR since I began writing fanfics. If you look on my profile, you'll see Member since: 3-9-02. ^^ One year…wow. Anyway, this was just a little one-shot I thought of in a five-minute period. I hope you liked it, I sure enjoyed writing it. Please review! And…

Happy Anniversary to me!!!

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